Bulldozer



May 8, 1945. Y E. B. MALOON ETAL 2,375,483

'BULLDOZER .Filed May 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fA/PL 15? 4441000 8114 W/u/s H. You/ r,

Ihmeutors;

Gttoritegs.

Patented May 8, 1945 BUIQLDOZER.

Earl R. Maloon. Arcadia, and Willis H. Yount,

Alhambra, Calii., assignors to Southwest Welding & Mfg. 00., Alhambra, Calif., a corporation of California Application May 4, 1943, ScrialNo. 485,594

4. Claims. (Cl. 371-44) This invention relates to a power scraper or pusher of the type known popularly as a bulldozer.

While the improvement may be applied to any type of power vehicle, in the present specification it is described as applied to a tractor of the track laying type.

In thiskind of implement the bulldozer bowl or pusher head is located at the front end of the vehicle, and is. capable of being adjusted to any desired level.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide simple means for supporting and adjusting the height of the bulldozer head constructed in such a way that the supporting forces will be imparted to the track frame of the vehicle at a point well within the wheel base, or track base, so that these forces will not rock, or tip, the vehicle up or down at its ends.

Another object of the invention is to provide 1 a support for the bulldozer head, which will enable the same to move up and down in a substantially straight line so that the inclination of the scraper blade or knife at the lower edge of the bulldozer, will present itself to the ground at substantially the same inclination.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be, described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an eilicient bulldozer.

A' preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the novelty ,of the invention is pointed out'in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of this invention as applied to a track laying type of tractor.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1.

- which the rollers for the tracks are guided, in-

I cludes a side bar or frame member 1 which is disposed in a substantially horizontal position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on-a larger scale taken about on the line 3-4 of Fig. i.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the main frame of a vehicle, for example, a track laying tractor having side tracks 2 which are provided with the usual spurs 3 that dig intothe ground and enable the tractor to exert a great tractive effort to push the bulldozer head 4 forwardly. This bulldozer head may be of any common construction such as that illustrated, and extends in the usual manner, competely across the front end of the implement. At each side the bulldozer head 4 is provided with a rearwardlyextending side arm and which is preferably formed of two parallel channel members with their Webs vertical, and with flanges 8 at their upper and lower edges. Between the flanges 8 of the outboard channel we mount a block 9 .on which the rear ends of the arms 5 are supported, preferably by means of pins III that project outwardly from the outer sides of the blocks 9. In this connection it should be understood that the construction at both sides of the tractor is identical. The detail of the connection to the pins 10 is relatively unimportant, but as illustrated, and in order to resist any force tending to move the rear ends of the arms laterally, we prefer to form the pins It! with heads at each end and clamp the arms on the reduced waist or neck ll between these heads. (See Fig. 2.) Asillustrated, we provide a removable rear block or cap I! that is clamped up by bolts I 3 against the forward bearing member I4 at the rear ends of the arms.

The upper portion of the bulldozer head or bowl 4 is preferably braced to the side arms by means of a diagonal brace i5 located at each side; also by horizontal diagonal braces 1511' as shown in Fig. 2.

Above the main frame we provide a forward boom [6, and toward the rear of the main frame we provide a substantially similar rear boom Il. These booms are preferably held in an inclined position with their lower ends supported at an intermediate point, or points, on the roller frame la with respect to its length in a fore-and-aft direction. In the present instance, we provide two brackets or bracket stanchions l8 and I9,

the lower ends of which are attacheclto the top of the roller frame'above the channels 1 at each side; and these brackets or stanchions extend up to about the level of the tractor floor 20. As illustrated in Fig. 2, each boom comprises a crosshead such as the cross-heads 2i and 22, each cross-head being rigidly connected to side forks 16a and Ila. These forks extend downwardly and are supported on the upper ends of the bracket stanchions l8 and I9 preferably as indicated. In making this connection, the lower end of each fork is provided with a head piece 23 which is in the form of a stout bar welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent portion of the fork. Each of these head pieces 23 atits frame.

inner end, fits in between side plates 24 between which they are secured preferably by means of through pins 25. Each head piece lies substan tially in a fore-and-aft plane.

The upper ends of the booms are preferably connected by a longitudinal stringer 26 through the medium ,of substantially vertical gusset plates 21 rigid with the stringer at each end, and these gusset plates 21 overlap similar gussets 28 attached to the cross-heads of the booms; and

upper end of the rear boom I1 ,is preferably anchored to the main frame by means of a link 30, the lower end of which is connected by a pin 3| or other suitable connection to the main frame, or preferably to a drum frame 32 that extends rearwardly from the main frame, and

carries a drum 33 over which the cable 33a passes for taking it up or paying it out. This cable passes oversheave's 34 and 35 located respectively, adjacent the upperend of the forward boomand the upper endo'f the rear boom. The sheave 34, if desired,.may be inthe form of. a double sheave or triple sheave to enablejthe cable to be disposed in a fall 36, the lower loop of which passes around sheaves in the lower block 31 that is pivotally attached to the upper side of the bulldozer head. r

The drum 33 is offcourse reversible and con-c trollable from the ,drivers seat 38 by meansiof operating connections such as the leverBQ. The upper end of the bracket stanchions l8 and, [9 are also preferably connected by a. link 4310-. cated at each side. The fixed end of the cable beyond the fall 3f may besecured in a clamp 4| adjacent-to the upper sheave or sheaves 34. It will be evident that the tension in the cable develops compressive forces in the booms,'and the tension in the fall 36, tending to swing the. forward boom downwardly, is of course resisted by the link 30 at the rear. The compressive forces in the-booms of course are transmitted to the brackets I 8 and [9 which deliver this load to the top of the roller frame, including the sideframe bars I. A portion of the weight of the bulldozer'head 4, and of course the horizontal thrust of the earth being moved by the bulldozenis imparted to the side pins In near the rear of the tractor The bulldozer preferably has an inclined main plate 42 which tends to incline this thrust in a downward direction, and this-is desirable as tending to hold the rear end of the tractor frame down toits proper level. All of these forces developed, tend to maintain the tractor frame on an "even keel.

Fig. 3 illustrates how the horizontal extension,

or foot [811 or [9a of each bracket stanchion is seated on the top of each side beam or roller frame la. Each bracket stanchion is preferably formed with a goose-neck I8b or I9b that projects inboard for supporting the lower endsof the A frames or booms l6 and II. This brings the vertical load line on the pins 24 and 25 well inboardand over the track.2, which is very advantageous.

When the booms l6. and I! are supporting a load, the compression forces that are developed in them, are of course imparted to the brackets l8 and I9, and the horizontal components of these forces develop compression forces in the links 40. These links therefore act as strut links. By attaching the ends of the strut links '10, these gussets 2'! and 28 are attached together preferably by through pins 29 as shown. The' 40 to the bracket stanchions l8 and l 9, with pins that are distinct and separate pins from the pins that are employed for attaching the lower ends of the booms to these stanchions, we are enabled to bring the direction of thrust of the forks Mia and Ila in line with the strut links 40. This is most advantageous because it relieves the stanchions of any substantialtorsional forces acting in a horizontal plane. And it is also advantageous because the thrust forces acting against the pins, can be resisted by a bearing for the pin on each side of the point of application of the thrust force.

a of course pivots in the usual way around the .Alsoby reason of track sprocket axle 6a. Removable pins or bolts are employed for making all the connections betweenthe parts of the superframe. This facilitates shipping the superframe in a knock-down condition with the trac;

tor..

the great distance from the bulldozer head to the pins 10 about: whichg'it swings, the radius to the plate 42 is so greattliat the tread is mounted and including a substan-l' tially horizontal frame bar located respectively at each outboard side of the treads, a pair: of stanchion brackets on each side spaced from, each other in a fore-and-aft direction supportedpn I each frame bar and extending upwardly therefrom, the upper endsof the brackets having ex tensions projecting inboard and over-the upper I runs of the tread, a bulldozer headlocatedfor;

wardly on the implement, having side. armswpivotally supported on the side bars, aforwardboom for the bulldozer head with side memberspivotally supported on the said inboard extensions of the forward bracket stanchions, a. rear,;boom having forks mounted on the rearmost; stanchion brackets, a tie bar connecting said booms, a strut connecting one of said booms to said implement, sheaves at' the extremities of said booms and said bulldozer head, a hoist unit at the. rearend of said implement, and a cable forlifting said bulldozer head passing over said; sheaves; and connected with said hoist. v.

2. An implement of the kind described, om. prising: a main frame and a roller-frame; a bulls dozer head disposed forwardly of the main frame and having side arms extending rearwardly there.-

' from and located on opposite sides of saidroller frame; means for supporting the rear portions of said arms on said roller-frame so. as .to permit the bulldozer head to swing up or -dowr i at the front and adjacent the ground level; a superframe located. above said main. frame, including a bifurcated forward boom. and a bifurcated rear boom, each of said booms comprising forks ex;- tending respectively toward the sides of said roll:

- er-frame; a pair of bracket stanchions located front and rear vertical medial plane extending through the tread at each side.

4. An implement of the kind described, comprising: a main frame; a track laying type drive for the main frame, including an endless track tread located at each side of the main frame; a roller-frame including ,a substantially horizontal side beam located on the outboard side of each of said tracks; a bulldozer head at the forward end of the main frame havingv a side arm extending rearwardly at each side of the implement with means for pivotally supporting the said side arms adjacent their rear ends; a forward boom having side forks disposed in an inclined position and extending forwardly over the forward end of the implement; a rear boom having side forks disposed in an inclined direction and extending rearwardly over the rear end of the main frame; a pair of bracket stanchions spaced from each other on each side secured on said roller-frame beams and extending upwardly therefrom; means connecting the upper ends of said bracket stanchions respectively with the forks of the forward boom and the forks of the rear boom; a longitudinal stringer disposed above the upper ends of the booms with means at each end located below the same for connecting the stringer to the upper ends of the booms; an anchor brace connecting at least one of said booms to said main frame; sheaves associated respectively with the ends of the stringer; a sheave block attached to the bulldozer head; a cable disposed in a fall at the forward end for supporting said block and extending over the first-named sheaves to the rear of the main frame; and a drum supported near the rear of the main frame for taking up and paying out the cable.

EARL B. MALOON. WILLIS H. YOU'N'I. 

